Bruce Bochy has always managed with his gut. Those same instincts told him it’s time to retire.
Bochy announced this will be his last season managing the San Francisco Giants — his 25th as a big league manager.
Giants Manager Bruce Bochy Announces He'll Retire After This Season
SF Giants Manager Bruce Bochy announced he'll retire today after leading the team to three World Series titles. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
He told the team before Monday’s spring training workout at Scottsdale Stadium. "In my mind it’s time," he said.
"I’ve managed with my gut. I came up here in 2007 on my gut. So it’s a gut feeling it’s time," said Bochy, who turns 64 in April. "It’s been an unbelievable ride. There's so much in there to be grateful for, with the players, the city, the fans, my ride here. It's time. I'll stay in baseball and do something."
He came to San Francisco from the San Diego Padres before the 2007 season, in time to watch Barry Bonds break Hank Aaron’s career home run record that August. This season will be his 13th with the Giants. He led the club to World Series titles in 2010, '12 and '14.
Every other manager with three or more titles has been inducted into the Hall of Fame. "I haven’t even thought about that," he said — but others have already started speculating.
He has faced daily questions about his future, and said he wanted to address his plans now and avoid distractions later in the season. He intends to stay in baseball in another role that has yet to be determined.
"There's a lot of things that I look forward to doing, but right now my head’s at this moment, hey, I'm going to focus on getting this team ready. I look forward to one more shot, trust me, and us having a big year. I'm all in."
When asked if he'd consider managing another team after this season, Bochy said, "never is a big word...but that's not where my head is at." He's focused on the upcoming season.
Bochy came to the decision over the winter, but had realized this would likely be his last year at the end of the 2018 season. He discussed it with family and the front office.
"I’m not going anywhere. I don’t have any cruises planned, trust me, I don’t plan on going up Mount Everest. Baseball, that’s my life. I’ll be around," Bochy said. "I don’t have a bucket list. There’s no hidden agenda in all this, trust me."
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